Locking it up
by Darkanny
Summary: Hiccup should really ask Jack about his weird traditions, especially when he's unknowingly at the end of one.


"Do it again, please!"

Hiccup laughed, mussing his hair. "Okay, wait a moment" He let his eyes go unfocused and furrowed his brow, concentrating. His nose elongated along with his mouth, black scales covering the newly formed snout around the slitted nostrils, a long forked tongue darting from his now lipless mouth. His ears elongated as well, turning the same jet black color and rounding at the tips, pointing backwards and well over the crown of his head. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them they were a more acidic shade of green, pupils narrowing from the sunlight.

The crowd surrounding him laughed and clapped, some awed ones just staring in amazement. The wizard smiled, the effect especially impressive with the sharp set of fangs he sported as well. He let them watch for a moment longer before shrinking his features back to normal, receiving claps on the back as they stood and left for their own seats.

The metamorphmagus sighed, dropping his head on the table after finally getting some alone time. He had tried to keep his talent hidden since his arrival at Durmstrang, and would've really liked to keep it that way until graduation, but unluckily there had been a nasty incident with a fugitive Boggart that had decided to hide inside his desk and upon opening it what was inside scared him so much he couldn't prevent the cat tail and ears popping from his head and back as he practically yowled the thing away.

After that fatidic class his heritage became known and, even if his popularity had increased considerably, it was more often than not people just asking him to change into something until they grew bored, which didn't take that long, luckily.

Sighing once more, he fetched his hat and books from the table, putting a few pieces of food in the pockets of his robe and headed for his dorm, where he hoped he could finish the homework he'd been tried to do before he'd been interrupted.

The cold had been setting in faster this year, the snow from the surrounding mountains cooling the air to a near unbearable coldness that bit whatever inch of skin that wasn't covered, only those who had come from even colder lands like himself were able to stand the chill better, but he still opted to wear his full attire; robes and cloak and hat down to his hears, furred boots making his every step silent in the stony halls. He thought about making fur grow from his body under his clothes, wondering how colder it could get in the middle of Autumn.

"Hey, Hiccup!"

But of course, there was one student in particular that couldn't possibly let his spirits be dampened by the weather, if only it brightened his mood.

The brunet stopped, turning to the voice calling his name from the end of the hall, from where a taller figure ran to him. He looked like a complete madman, only dotted in his trousers and a red tunic that clashed with his pale skin and hair. He was barefoot as usual, and Hiccup shivered and pulled his cloak tighter around himself.

Jack was the only known case in magic history of an Ice Elf chosen by a wand. It had been completely accidental. It was his third time in his life leaving his forest, looking into a nearby town for some herbs that didn't grow in the country and had to be imported; and if asked, he'd say he felt some kind of pull that made him enter a store in particular, where the vendor had looked at him critically for a minute before disappearing behind a shelf, pushing a box into his chest and ushering him outside. After touching the wand, a dust of snow started falling from the tip, and it was in the last days of that July when an artic owl had appeared with a letter addressed to his tree.

"Hey Jack" Hiccup greeted him, continuing his walking even before the elf had reached him. "Why aren't you outside? I heard the Ice Faes where having a party before the storms begin, weren't you invited?"

Jack shrugged, sliding next to him on the ice he formed at his feet. "Eh, they're not bad, but I'm not feeling like it today. Last time they tried to push me into the lake" He pursed his mouth, letting his feet actually fall into step on the floor. "Damn bitches"

Hiccup almost choked on the sudden laugh that tried to escape his throat. "What?! Since when don't you like their parties?" Jack was quite famous for escaping the castle every full moon to get lost in the forest around the time the infamous circles started appearing near the border.

"They just lost their charm, I guess" They'd reached the entrance to their tower, Jack pulling the door open for the wizard to enter before him. "And anyway, I still have those piles of extra homework from that time in Transfiguration" Jack had thought it would be a great idea to use a disfiguring spell to pretend to be melting, and it had caused quite the commotion until he'd tried to assure the teacher he was just joking and that elves didn't actually melt did they even pay attention in COMC or what.

"And I suppose you're gonna do that now?" Hiccup asked, a skeptical tone laced in his voice. He went to the nearest couch and dropped his things and himself on it; he really wished they could start a fire but the oh so strict regulations of the castle didn't allow it unless for especial events.

Jack laughed, a cold mist wafting from his mouth. "Yeah, sure, and you're gonna tell everyone about that dragon you have hidden in the forest"

Hiccup stiffened, looking around the room. There was nobody around and he released the breath he was holding. "Could you shut up?! There's a reason I told nobody but you, you are _supposed_ to keep a secret!"

"Relax, Relax, if anything happens I could tell it's you trying to blend better with the creatures in the forest for investigating purposes" Jack said with finality, walking around the couch and stopping behind Hiccup. "You'd probably had to do a full transformation, but they'd believe you"

Hiccup hummed, scratching his forehead. "Still, it would be hard to keep up, so please keep your frozen trap shut" He jumped in his seat when something thin and cold touched the back of his neck, going up to his hair. "What are you doing now?" He asked as Jack removed the furry hat from his head, a shiver running down his spine at the sudden cold in his ears.

"Just trying to help you relax, I won't freeze your hair again, promise" He grinned, carding his fingers through the auburn locks swiftly, leaving small snowflakes behind that melted immediately. "Hey, could you do a little something for me?"

"Depends, will it hurt?"

"Nope, just…can you make your hair longer? Around your shoulder blades, that's all" He touched around the area he mentioned, smile growing when something soft tickled his finger. The reddish hair now reached down twice as long, swishing when Hiccup moved.

"Like that?" He asked, picking a lock and twirling it between his fingers. "Why do you ask?"

Jack racked his fingers through it again, brushing it carefully. "Oh, nothing in particular, just wanted to try something. You keep studying, I won't bother you"

The next hour went by with Hiccup trying to work on his books while trying to not fall asleep from the gentle pulls to his hair. What was Jack doing he had no idea, but he'd been moving his hair this way and that for a good while, and he was pretty sure he'd been pulling things from his pockets and putting them on his hair.

"Hic? Are you still with me?" Jack's voice was like hearing underwater, and Hiccup had to blink a few times to realize he'd fallen asleep at some point, too relaxed by the ministration from the elf. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty"

"What's a Sleeping Beauty?" The wizard slurred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Jack jumped over the couch, landing on his feet on the cushion next to the brunet. "It's a muggle fairy tale, remind me to read it to you later, Mister Pureblood" A clock on the wall chimed, and Jack jumped to his feet. "Shit, gotta go" He snatched his bag from the floor and patted Hiccup's cheek. "See ya!" He stopped at the door and turned around. "Oh, and don't undo that, ok?" With a last wave he was gone, sliding once more on the ice under his feet.

Hiccup waved absentmindedly, wondering what was he talking about when he remembered the reason he'd fallen asleep, bringing a hand up to his hair.

It was almost non noticeable but there was something wavy and bulky running down his crown to his back. Conjuring a couple of mirrors, he put them in angle to see the back of his head, evaluating the long and complicated braid running down his back. It had to be done with at least five parts, twining and knotting around each other in what at first sight looked like a random mess but at a closer look made a complicated pattern similar to multi-pointed stars, or if he was creative…

"Snowflakes?" He frowned, touching the biggest ones softly, wondering how was it even possible to make something like that, and then he remembered Jack wasn't exactly human so it wasn't that hard to believe. He also saw some sparkly things braided in, possibly what he'd been taking from his pockets; shiny river stones and frozen flower buds solidly weaved and frozen in place and, if Jack ability was to be trusted, they would last like that for a long while.

Shrugging, he stood, stretching the slumber out of his body with a delighted groan, wondering how could he sleep so well in such a cold room. He grabbed his books and walked out of the tower, making his way to the library to return the books he was done with, passing by the Magical Creatures Behavior teacher walking the opposite way.

He didn't notice the man stopping after greeting him, turning around and curiously wondering why the Haddock kid was sporting an elven courting lock on his hair. He shrugged. Kids this days.


End file.
